Chicago's superlatives blossom in summer

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Visitors to Chicago -- the unofficial capital of the Midwest -- can savor a graceful lakefront, gritty ethnic enclaves and rich cuisine.

The city of 3 million, which has another 4 million in its far-flung suburbs, is a region of rich farmland, heavy industry, and a history of architectural innovation.

Residents of the city -- one of four vying to host the 2016 Olympic Games -- tend to be plain spoken, which might hark back to the city's role as the rabble-rousing birthplace for workers' rights.

It is also home to U.S. President Barack Obama.

Long ago, scribes labeled Chicago "The Windy City" for its boastful reputation and slighted the place by referring to it as "The Second City" (now third-largest).

A reputation for corrupt politicians and mobsters, like Al Capone, who ordered the Valentine's Day Massacre, is a source of shame and pride. Mob hangouts can be visited on a bus tour.

The city's culinary delights range from meaty hot dogs and deep dish pizza to a breadth of ethnic cuisines and reigning chefs Grant Achatz of Alinea and Homaro Cantu of Moto.

An incubator for jazz, blues and House music, Chicago clubs serving those genres include the Jazz Showcase and austere venue the Double Door.

MASTER PLAN

Chicago is bordered on one side by Lake Michigan, an inland fresh-water sea whose shores have been kept mostly "free and clear" under a century-old master plan.

Strung along 20 miles of lakefront are soccer and softball fields, beaches and bird-watching havens, and a bicycle trail shared by roller-bladers and strollers.

The shopping mecca is Michigan Avenue, a few blocks North and across the Chicago River from the downtown "Loop" elevated tracks along which its usually reliable "El" trains rumble.

Nicknamed "The City of Big Shoulders," Chicago is home to the world's earliest skyscrapers, one of the tallest (110 story Willis Tower) and one of the largest (the Merchandise Mart).

The city's venerable and modern architecture can be seen on foot or by boat. Cruises on fickle Lake Michigan depart frequently from touristy Navy Pier or try a sailboat.

The city's mayor, Richard Daley, will soon pass his father in longevity in office at more than two decades.

He has adopted a "green" policy in a city once known as "hog butcher to the world" and built expensive Millennium Park, which includes an outdoor concert stage sculpted by Frank Gehry.

TOWERING LEGACIES

Nature is on display indoors at the Field Museum of Natural History and the adjacent Shedd Aquarium, one of the world's oldest and largest aquariums.

Across downtown's Grant Park is the Art Institute where Picassos join seminal works by Monet, Matisse, Van Gogh and Seurat's "Sunday Afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jatte."

Builders in Chicago must compete with the towering legacies of Frank Lloyd Wright, whose suburban studio is a popular destination for architecture buffs.

Home-grown writers such as Saul Bellow and Nelson Algren frequently used the city's underbelly as a backdrop.

The universities of Chicago and Northwestern and a bevy of lesser-known schools shine intellectual beacons across the city.

Daley's birthplace in Bridgeport, a bastion of Irish-American power, is on the South Side.

It sits in the shadows of one of two Major League Baseball stadiums -- the home of Daley's beloved White Sox.

On the North Side, Wrigley Field has become a mecca for followers of those lovable losers, the Cubs.

At the other extreme, fans of basketball's Chicago Bulls long for the championships forged during the 1990s by the indomitable Michael Jordan.

Local celebrities include television talk show queen Oprah Winfrey whose studio sits near restaurants and art galleries. Civil rights leader the Rev. Jesse Jackson holds court in a converted South Side synagogue on some Saturdays.

The Museum of Contemporary Art, Columbia College's photography museum, and Louis Tiffany stained glass windows gracing the Second Presbyterian Church are worth a visit.

The epicenter for Chicago's drinkers is Rush Street, adjacent to one of its wealthiest enclaves, Astor Street. The teeming Oak Street beach is not far away.

Chicago boasts the world's longest street, less-than-scenic Western Avenue, and has a numbered grid layout with angled streets on the North Side -- arteries for a vibrant city.

(Editing by Ken Ferris; To query or comment on this story email sportsfeedback@thomsonreuters.com))